Chiang Rai prepares to retake defunct mine

 

CHIANG RAI, 9 November 2017 (NNT) - Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and relevant agencies have banded together to sieze a defunct scheelite mine in Chiang Rai province. 

Director of Protected Area Regional Office 15, Kamolchai Kotcha, army officers and administrative officials have jointly inspected four plots of land covering 151.68 hectares in Wiang Pa Pao district where the mine is located. 

The operation also discovered that another 4.48 hectares of land had been used to keep vehicles and machinery. The task force seized the land plots, 63 vehicles and equipment and 18 on-site buildings and has prepared a report detailing the list of impounded items. 

In 1973, more than 300 people were killed by a landslide at the site while searching for the ore. The Thai-Swedish Mining Company Limited, which later won the concession, undertook the mining and the evacuation of the remaining villagers. The concession expired in 2008. 

Authorities are requesting Wiang Pa Pao Police Station to press charges against the company for occupying forest areas without permission, disobeying legal orders and causing environmental damage. Sansalee Subdistrict Administrative Organization plans to turn the mine into a historical site.

 

-- nnt 2017-11-09

Anyone know where this mine might be?

According to this https://wikivisually.com/lang-th/wiki/อำเภอเวียงป่าเป้า site it should be the area of Doi Mohg. (Search for the word "scheelite"
Looking at Google Earth you even find a pic what could be a mine entrance at N19 24.558 E99 33.282; the Thai description means "Mineral cave Doi Mohg, T. San Sali, A. Wiang PaPao, C. Chiangrai".
But who knows whether the location is correctly posted or not ...?

Here you find a VDO of the desaster:

 

 

If you google in Thai for "SanSali Mineral Scheelite" (https://www.google.de/search?source=hp&ei=RDkEWsv7IcLyvgSAp6_wCA&q=สันสลี+แร่ชีไลต์&oq=สันสลี+แร่ชีไลต์&gs_l=psy-ab.12...3365.24950.0.27184.5.4.0.0.0.0.155.439.0j3.4.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..1.2.282.0..0i19k1j0i30i19k1.164.-mu6QuPtT1s) you find lots of infos but it's an advantage to read Thai ...

I have heard of the landslide that claimed many lives.  Many of my neighbors think it was diamonds they were after, but when asked to confirm it, all said "shelite diamonds". 

 

I had not seen the video previously, so thank you, rebo.  My father-in-law remembers it vividly, saying that he had several friends die there.

Here another, I find even more impressive video: